Dispensing carton



Dec. 21, 1965 N. MARCALUS DISPENSING CARTON Filed Aug. 28, 1964 llllfll Illl |.l|||||||l.| I n INVENTOR /V/Cb 0lfi5 Adz/907205,

ATTORNEY United States Patent Oil 3,224,632 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 3,224,632 DISPENSING CARTON Nicholas Marcalus, West Englewood, NJ. (1 Market St., East Paterson, NJ.) Filed Aug. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 392,818 3 Claims. (Cl. 221-48) This invention relates to improvements in Dispensing Cartons for interleaved sheets and, more particularly, to cartons for holding and dispensing a stack of paper tissues which are removed therefrom one-by-one.

It has been customary practice heretofore to pack facial tissues and the like in cartons and similar containers made of cardboard or other suitable material from which the tissues can be dispensed one-by-one. A dispensing opening or slot is provided in the top panel of the carton through which the tissues can be withdrawn for use. The interfolding of the tissues provides for the withdrawing of an edge of the next following tissue whenever one is withdrawn through the slot. However, considerable difiiculty has been experienced in withdrawing the initial or outermost tissue from the pack, and due to the character of the slot used, several tissues often so adhere to each other that they are withdrawn simultaneously in an at tempt to remove one from the carton.

One object of this invention is to overcome these objections and to assure that the tissues will be withdrawn individually, while yet presenting an edge of the following tissue through the slot whenever one tissue is withdrawn therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to improve the character of the slot provided in the carton so as to present the free margin of the outermost tissue ready for withdrawing, as desired, and yet having facilities for holding back the following tissues underlying the one withdrawn, so as to insure that these will be removed individually.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a pack of tissue products in a manner such that the outermost product may be withdrawn readily through the slot by grasping of the product itself and without requiring a separate starting piece, as has been necessary in many instances heretofore.

These objects are accomplished, according to one embodiment of the invention, by providing a carton with a panel forming one wall thereof within which is an elongated slot in position to be disposed over the stack of paper tissues. The slot is formed substantially elliptical with reentrant portions adjacent the ends of the major axis thereof to form an S-shaped with curved surfaces throughout its length, but with an intermediate portion appreciably wider than the end portions of the slot and having reentrant panel sections therebetween. This provides an enlarged center portion sufficient to receive the fingers to grasp the top area of the topmost tissue and thereby to withdraw it from the carton while the end sections and reentrant portions mentioned retard the following tissues, preventing the latter from being withdrawn as one tissue is removed and yet permitting the free margin of the following tissue to be presented through the slot, ready for subsequent grasping when desired.

This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing carton having the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the carton, showing one of the tissues ready for removal; and

FIG. 4 is a detail sectional view through a portion of the carton and the interleaved sheets therein.

The invention is shown in connection with a dispensing carton, generally designated by the numeral 1, and usually formed of suitable flexible material, such as paperboard or the like. These cartons are frequently made from a flat blank of material scored and folded, to be set up substantially in the form shown in FIG. 1 and having a face panel 2 which covers the top of the carton overlying the stack of tissues, generally indicated at 3 in FIG. 4. The tissues 3 are usually interleaved or folded one upon another, so that when one is withdrawn from the carton, the next succeeding tissue will have its margin disposed to follow the one being withdrawn.

The face panel 2 is provided with an elongated slot, generally indicated at 4, and which slot 4 extends lengthwise of the panel throughout less than the entire length thereof. The slot 4 is symmetrically arranged with respect to the face panel 2 and is substantially elliptical with reentrant portions to form an S-shape. The median portion thereof, formed between opposed concave edges 5, is relatively wide, sufficiently to permit ready grasping of the topmost tissue in the pack or to permit the center section of the next following tissue to be projected therethrough when one tissue is removed.

The relatively wide center portion of the slot 4 terminates at opposite ends in reversely curved end sections 6 that are narrow relative to the wide center portion, being less than one-fourth the width thereof. The reentrant portions 7 extend from opposite sides of the opening or slot 4 adjacent to but spaced from the longitudinal ends of the elliptical opening defined by major and minor axes. Each of these reversely curved end sections 6 is formed by a continuation of the curved edge 5 at one side of the narrow end section 6, while the opposite edge of the latter is formed by the adjacent edge of a reentrant portion 7 of the face panel 2. The slot thus formed is symmertical of the face panel 2, both longitudinally and transversely.

The slot overlies the top surfaces of the stack of interleaved paper tissues so as to permit a person to grasp the topmost tissue through the widened, intermediate portion of the S-shaped slot and to remove this top tissue by grasping the free margin thereof.

The shape of the slot is such as to require a lengthwise restriction of the tissue so that it is not withdrawn in a single plane. The end portions of the tissue following through the constricted end sections 6 of the slot permit this tissue to be withdrawn, while these end portions and the reentrant portion 7 of the face panel will hold back the next following tissue, so that the latter is not withdrawn with the tissue thus being removed by the user. Nevertheless, the free margin of the succeeding tissue will be pulled into the enlarged middle portion of the slot within a position where it can be grasped readily for subsequent removal, if desired.

The slot thus formed has the property of bunching or bellying the tissue at the center due to the enlarged center portion and its reentrant portions, but with restricted end sections appreciably narrower than the center portion. These respective sections have been found to provide for the ready grasping of the topmost tissue and preventing several tissues from being withdrawn simultaneously.

The slot 4 may be formed initially directly in the face panel of the carton 1, if desired. In that event, the entire carton can be encased in a suitable transparent or other envelope that will protect the tissues through the slot.

If it be desired, however, the carton 1 may be provided with a removable section, generally indicated at 8 in FIG. 1, formed in one piece with the face panel 2. A frangible or severance line divides the dispensing opening 4 within which the removable section 8 is located, making it possible to remove this section 8 to form the slot. The use of such a removable section is well known in dispensing cartons and the provision thereof does not require more detailed explanation. The removal of the section 8 leaves :he slot 4 exposed, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and as :lescribed above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described In one embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein, without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing carton for interleaved paper tissues, comprising a container for enclosing a stack of the interleaved tissues, said container having a face panel provided With an elongated dispensing opening arranged centrally over the stack of tissues, said opening having a generally elliptical configuration defined by major and minor axes, said face panel including curved reentrant portions extending into said opening adjacent but spaced from the longitudinal ends thereof, said reentrant portions extending from and in the same plane as the remainder of said face panel on opposite sides of said opening in opposite directions substantially parallel to said minor axis whereby tissues may be grasped at the minor axis of said opening and withdrawn therefrom, the next tissue thereby being elevated in a bellied condition with at least one of said reentrant portions serving to retard movement of an end portion of the next tissue.

2. A dispensing carton for interleaved paper tissues, comprising a container for enclosing a stack of the interleaved tissues, said container having a face panel provided with an elongated dispensing opening arranged centrally over the stack of tissues, said opening having a generally elliptical configuration defined by major and minor axes, said face panel including curved reentrant portions extending into said opening adjacent but spaced from the longitudinal ends thereof, said reentrant portions extending from and in the same plane as the remainder of said face panel on opposite sides of said opening and extending across said major axis thereof whereby tissues may be grasped at the minor axis of said opening and withdrawn therefrom, the next tissue thereby being elevated in a bellied condition with at least one of said reentrant portions serving to retard movement of an end portion of the next tissue.

3. A dispensing carton according to claim 1 wherein said major axis of said elliptical opening is appreciably shorter than the length of said carton and of the tissues therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,935,905 11/1933 Gresenz 22l48 2,580,982 1/1952 Weiss 22148 2,927,714 3/1960 Nelson 221-48 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

WALTER SOBIN, Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSING CARTON FOR INTERLEAVED PAPER TISSUES, COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR ENCLOSING A STACK OF THE INTERLEAVED TISSUES, SAID CONTAINER HAVING A FACE PANEL PROVIDED WITH AN ELONGATED DISPENSING OPENING ARRANGED CENTRALLY OVER THE STACK OF TISSUES, SAID OPENING HAVING A GENERALLY ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION DEFINED BY MAJOR AND MINOR AXES, SAID FACE PANEL INCLUDING CURVED REENTRANT PORTIONS EXTENDING INTO SAID OPENING ADJACENT BUT SPACED FROM THE LONGITUDINAL ENDS THEREOF, SAID REENTRANT PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM AND IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE REMAINDER OF SAID FACE PANEL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID OPENING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID MINOR AXIS WHEREBY TISSUES MAY BE GRAPSED AT THE MINOR AXIS OF SAID OPENING AND WITHDRAWN THEREFROM, THE NEXT TISSUE THEREBY BEING ELEVATED IN A BELLIED CONDITION WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID REENTRANT PORTIONS SERVING TO RETARD MOVEMENT OF AN END PORTION OF THE NEXT TISSUE. 